ALLEGED ILLEGAL USE OF FIREARMS.

I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that John Murphy, an emergency man, who was charged at Conna (County Cork) Petty Sessions last Friday, "with discharging a revolver on the public road" at a woman named Julia Fitzgerald and others, was acquitted by Colonel Longbourne, R.M., and two other Magistrates on the ground that "defendant had not got the revolver now;" also that the same defendant was charged by the Excise authorities with carrying the revolver without a licence, and fined the mitigated penalty of £2 10s. and costs; and whether he can state what are the
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reasons which induced Colonel Longbourne, R.M., to recommend that this fine be further reduced?

I am informed that the man mentioned was charged not with firing at any person, but with having discharged his revolver on the public road, the shot being fired in the air. The defendant was not acquitted on the ground alleged in the question, but because the Bench of Magistrates considered, from the evidence before them, that the defendant had reasonable grounds of alarm at the time he discharged the weapon in the air with the object of frightening without causing injury. The Bench recommended the remission of the Excise penalty on the ground that, in their opinion, the defendant was not responsible for the neglect to take out an Excise licence, the revolver having been supplied to him for his protection by his employer, by whom the licence should have, in their opinion, been taken out for him.

I will ask the right hon. Gentleman whether his attention has been directed to the fact that not a week elapses without some emergency man firing off his revolver; and whether anything will be done to put a stop to such riotous and rowdy conduct?

May I ask the right hon. Gentleman whether instructions will be given that more supervision shall be exercised over the issue of licences to men of this character, in view of the frequent occurrences of outrages of the kind indicated?